Tuesday, July 16, 2013

VEGAN SPINACH “CHICKEN” PATTIES (OPEN TO EXPERIMENTATION!)

These patties are a variation of an old recipe I hadn't made for a long time-- a vegan "chicken" spinach loaf. They are unabashedly NOT soy or gluten-free! But they have a homey feel, good flavor and texture, and they are so simple that the seasoning is open to interpretation. The loaf was made with the usual "chickeny" herbs-- sage, thyme, rosemary marjoram-- but I used a bit of a Middle Eastern theme with cumin, mint and basil the last time I made them. They could be made quite spicy, either by adding hot sauce, or using a spicy sauce on top of them. Or they could be made with Asian flavors-- lemongrass and cilantro, maybe, or 5-spice powder.

You could also, I think, use other vegetables-- kale, chard, zucchini shreds (make sure these are well-squeezed), for instance. you could use green onions instead of white onion. I think you get the idea-- this recipe is a good one to play around with, so have fun!

Mix the bouillon with the boiling
water. Add to the TVP and let sit 10
minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mash the drained tofu and mix well with the
squeezed spinach, cooked onions, soaked TVP and remaining ingredients, except
the gluten flour. Mix thoroughly. Add
the gluten and mix well again.

Scoop up some of the “dough” and roll into
a ball, then press down into a patty on a piece of baking parchment. You can make small patties, thin patties,
thick patties— whatever you like. This
recipe makes quite a few, about 18 normal-sized patties, depending on how thick
you like them.

Place the patties on parchment-lined baking
sheets, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Cool thoroughly in the refrigerator, then
layer in a rigid storage container with parchment in between the patties and
refrigerate, or freeze for future use.

When ready to serve, brown them on both
sides at medium heat in a lightly-oiled nonstick, cast iron or hard-anodized skillet. Serve in buns with your favorite condiments,
or by themselves with a favorite sauce or gravy.

CeCeJay, do you know about Asafoetida (or Hing, in Indian)? Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Vandevi-Hing-Asafoetida-100g-3-5oz/dp/B000JMDJ5CIt is used as a garlic and onion substitute in Brahman cooking (they don't use either).

I took the "Open to experimentation" to heart and here are the results. Fantastic!Since no organic TVP could be found, used a can of rinsed Great Northern beans(A salute to the great Northern Vegan...) For spices, used Basil, Garlic, Onion (Since we forgot to buy one.) thyme, sage and a T of zaatar.Cooked as directed, chilled and tossed on the BBQ after lightly misting with olive oil spray.These cooked up great, did not stick, and had great flavor and texture.Another winner!Thank you for sharing.

We only cook with kosher ingredients so your chicken flavor suggestions won't work. What we usually do is use Imagine No-Chick broth in the same amount as the water. Will this work or do we need to use less water or add flavorings.

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